When Professionals Clash
by Blood Never Lies
Summary: Reno is assigned to oversee trainee's on a mission to steal information from a firm ShinRa wants to seize for itself, but a hired specialist soon turns the tables on the team and the rookie Turks become hostages of a desperate man. Reno is charged with fixing his mess before it ruins the Company but first he will have to find a way to beat this hired specialist known as 'Rude'...
1. A Vision of a Shining Future

**Firstly I do not own FF7, this is simply a fan fiction.  
Secondly, I do not own Reno or Rude or any of the characters from FF7, this is simply a fan fiction where I have put them together as adversaries to explain their eventual partnership as we all know that this eventuallyhappens sooner or later and I am man who likes accuracy with his stories and characters.  
Thirdly, though already partially complete I cannot guarantee that the updates will be speedy as I work full time and have multiple projects on the go currently. Updates will largely depend on my mood and motivation. I have found reviews help.  
Finally, I would like to thank anyone who reads this for their time. I hope you will not find it wasted.**

* * *

-  
**Chapter 1**

Night fell over Midgar but the sounds of construction never ceased; metal clanged on metal as girders were set in place, the buzzing drills of hydraulic equipment broke out in the silence, the sparking and crackling of welders soldering layers of protective sheets of metal over the industrial skeletons dazzled and flashed like a light show all over the massive construction project, the chattering of workmen mixed in with the clanking of tools to make the spectacle as noisy as it was breath taking.  
The noise, the smell and the sight were amazing at times; it was as though it all was a staged performance designed to impress the audience of thousands of citizens that lived amongst the worksites and the noise. Perhaps in a certain sense it was; it was certainly worth the watching and waiting for at least one of the many citizens of Midgar who gazed up at the growing tower.  
As much as President Shinra would have liked to grandiosely announce that all this work was for the benefit of providing those living here with more comfortable lives they would all have known his words for the hollow lies they were, the truth this was as much about bettering his own position here and cementing his claim as the de-facto governor as it was about gaining their support for his regime.  
This tower was his masterpiece, this was his design and if he'd cared enough to give it a name other than 'the current work at hand' then its title would have dramatically been called; 'the start of the future'.  
Yes, here began the future of Shinra and it promised to be bright indeed if this work pace kept up!  
It would be even brighter than the illuminating spotlights that lit up the massive tower that was being built for him to look over all that he owned. It would elevate him higher than all others in this city and then he would direct all he saw from on high upon its completion.

The construction of this tower would bind all the plates together under the Shinra Company's supervision and break up this current "Section" business that had gripped the plates.  
Lately people were talking about giving the different plates their own names and whilst this wasn't exactly the first time he'd heard of such a notion this was still the first time he'd seen growing popularity for its approval.  
Naming a plate was a minor detail, but it basically provided the people who lived on them with more autonomy, and to President Shinra this was a bad thing.  
Names were powerful here in Midgar because a name could instil fear or awe. It could fill you with belief, and in this case that belief would be that you could accomplish more than just being an extension of the massive Corporation that you worked for. If people started living on the Plate _they'd _named then it would only encourage them to want more say in how _their_ plate was run.  
Giving in to other people's wishes was not something the President did lightly, and especially not when it encouraged this strange wish for independence!  
Such independent thinking was bad for business; it would dilute the current absolutism with which he was able to rule if he showed he could be moved by a popular appeal.  
And if people started thinking they could change where they lived from a number in a name… well it might lead to them thinking they deserved more than just the name – it might even lead to a populist attempt at seceding away from Shinra's authority altogether!

… His train of thought was an alarmist view admittedly, but it was still sound and had a certain logic to it. But even then it _was_a possibility, and President Shinra didn't want to leave anything to chance; he wanted absolute certainty in this matter. So no he would not allow this "Name plate" hysteria business to get any more out of hand than it already had.

The President looked out of his window upon the marvellous spectacle of the growing tower with a shine to his eyes that was as much power lust as it was emotion for all that he had accomplished. He marvelled at what he had built out of a simple Power Company sometimes.  
Shinra was a great power in this city at the moment, indeed it was arguably the most powerful in the city right now thanks to its monopoly of the power supply.  
Once the tower was built then it certainly would be the greatest; the tower would make a marvellous monument to the ambitions of the Shinra Electric Power Company and serve as a testament that the designs of one man could be realised if you had the will to create it, and if one man could realise his own dreams then could he not create something for _all_ men? The tower would serve as a political rallying point; a man that could get things done was a man you wanted in charge!

The President nodded to himself with a stiff upper lip and then drank down some of the fiery liquor that he had poured himself earlier before he'd come to the window to watch the construction work.  
President Shinra wanted to be the man in charge of Midgar so badly that he would do anything to get it. His son Rufus apparently shared this trait along with his father which was a little worrying, but not worth getting alarmed about just yet.  
The true danger to the President lay with the fact that his boy was too young and his head too full of dangerous ideas. The President was admittedly a ruthless businessman with extremely high ambitions, but he still thought within the realm of reason. What Rufus was proposing could only be called 'delusions of grandeur' and the methods by which he believed the ends should be met were very distasteful to his old man at times.  
He'd called Rufus to join him when he'd heard that he had voiced lately that the profits that his father was spending on keeping the people comfortable during this massive construction period were ruinously high and there were other ways to meet that end without the cost.

The President turned to face his son now, the thin younger man staring back at him was every bit his son except for something about his eyes that made him feel that Rufus wasn't entirely human sometimes.  
The President had mastered a poker face to best every other rival he'd met in the world during his rise to power, but he had never seen anyone with eyes like his son.  
As the needle pokes into the skin to find a vein to draw out a patients blood so his son seemed able to look into other persons eyes and get the truth out of them merely by staring at them until they relented what he wanted.  
This wasn't what impressed the President for he was certain the boy had learned that trick from _him_, but just as a needle can draw things out it can also inject things too, and it seemed that his son was also able to do with his gaze… the President felt the boy's gaze on him even now and could almost believe his body was betraying him, it were as though his son were injecting some sort of poison into him to make him aware of how _old_ he was getting and how some day he would have to relinquish power over to him...

Why not now, he mused, why not just have this silliness over and done with and just hand it over to Rufus…?  
The second he turned and confronted the boy the spell was broken. His son was a human – nothing more! He would have to wait until he was dead before he had control over the company.  
The President felt weary for this was how he felt all the time with his son… he felt he was under siege to surrender the company with every conversation the two of them had… and Rufus somehow made him feel like this with _just his eyes_!

"You don't need to spend all that money, you know." The boy said in his eerily soft and serious voice "You hold the power to cut off their standards of living literally with a word and the push of a button. You _do_ know you can do that, don't you sir?" Rufus asked him with just the hint of insolence to his voice.  
The President frowned at that comment and the title. Not once had his son ever called him 'Dad'. The best he'd once managed from him was the impersonal title of 'Father' and only when a large company of people had been present and its use at the time would have been beneficial to the boy.  
He asked if Rufus had a point or if he was simply pointing out the obvious; of course he knew he had that power.  
"I see. Sometimes I just wonder, that's all." his son said in a soft musing tone.  
Ah, there it was. The thoughtful way he spoke sometimes gave away the underlying feelings that Rufus had for him. He knew Rufus was waiting for him to die, but it was still hard for him to accept it sometimes. It was unfair that his own son was his biggest rival for power in this world and to two of them could not get on, but life was not fair.  
And neither was he when his son spoke to him like that. He hated insolence.  
"I see." He replied to his child in his loftiest voice "Well when I want a _boy's_opinion about business and politics I suppose I shall know who to ask for it, won't I Rufus?" He replied brusquely.

His son had flushed at that barb. His age would always be a sensitive subject for him until he was old enough to be considered a man. There were those who claimed he was _too young_ for his position, and those people would always think Rufus would be too young for it.  
"I just think you're approaching this the wrong way." His son suggested, his face cooling quickly now.  
"Oh?" the President asked his prodigy.  
Rufus then told him he was being too soft about all the noise of the construction by stuffing the cotton into peoples ears _per se_, when what he should do instead to show people that the noise was least of their concerns. The quality of life they enjoyed was not a _gift _made out to them by the Ancients, it was a _debt_ that they'd taken out by wanting to enjoy the benefits of using the power they enjoyed from the Shinra Company. This was a debt that they could always retract and perhaps then those who complained would value what they had right now when it was taken from them briefly and 'accidentally'. He could always reassure them that the construction work would not be much longer afterwards and that would be enough for them.

"That is an infamous suggestion Rufus." the President stated "They pay us for the use like everyone else, so by what right should I take it from them because they complain for being where others are not? Do you not see it from their point of view? So I say let them be distracted by all our fairs and shows during this busy period of the construction, I would rather risk the high cost of entertaining them presently than the future cost that angering them might bring."  
Rufus was silent for a second as though decided if his father was taking him seriously or not "The money they give you is for the power the use to live in comfort, not the land they're living on! In the olden times living on someone's land was expected to be repaid with by continued loyalty to the state or realm, these people who use our energy should be made to understand there is a cost to living here in such a time of expansion and development and putting up with a little noise is one of those costs. Why don't you point out to them that they're living on _your land _and like any unruly tenants they have to obey the rules or their homes can be given to more grateful families!"

The President was gobsmacked for a moment, amazed at his sons brazen nature to dictate to his own father about his business… but then he'd reminded himself that Rufus was young and full of the certainty of youth too. Ah yes…  
He gently pointed out to his son that the people living the closest to the racket of the tower being built would all probably disagreed with the notion that this was a time to be happy or thankful; peace was one of life's simplest pleasures and right now it was being denied to them.  
This statement was also a hint that his son completely missed out on or deliberately ignored.  
"But they're part of greatness!" he protested.  
Yes, well... President Shinra harrumphed as he took a sip of brandy… greatness was easy to appreciate in the long run but it was certainly hard to appreciate in the short term, and people always lived in the short term because the short term was the _here and now_ and that was something that affected them.  
So that was why he'd made the 'ruinous' costs to have them relocated in some cases and entertained in others, he explained, it served him well look like he cared about their well being for sometimes it was better to be loved rather than feared.  
He looked at his son expectantly, If only is son might _think_ from the other perspective sometimes, he lamented privately, then what a brilliant leader Rufus could be!

His son as usual didn't disappoint him for what he expected from him.  
"Mm. Well as you say _sir_. After all, we all know that friends and followers you have to buy things for are worth keeping…" Rufus deliberately made the comment a little too smartly for his father to not get angered at.  
Spare the rod and spoil the child… he thought resignedly, his brows beetled together in a scowl at his sons words and the President smacked his boy hard across his impudent mouth for his smart remarks.  
"You'll do well to keep those comments to yourself in future my boy, or I'll do worse than smack you for saying them!" he threatened softly.  
The blonde boy raised his fingers to his mouth, the tips came away red from a thin split at the corner of his lip where the blow had drawn blood.  
Giving his father a cold look the boy simply turned and walked out of the room, his face red from the smack and his lips tightly shut.  
The President sighed and wondered if he might have announced too early in his career that his son was going to inherit the business from him, it had bred nothing good in his son, the arrogance with which he held himself was unbelievable at times!

The President turned away from the future inheritor of his company and focussed on the here and now; though Shinra was secure in its assets and position in Midgar, it was by no means uncontested for that position.  
Before Shinra had risen into the political scene another player had been getting its own way with running Midgar as it wanted it to run.  
That family was the wealthy family 'Dellora', it had been running its own areas of the slums and had risen to the plate along with the other elite when they'd been erected above the slums.  
In the shadows Dellora had watched as Shinra had been growing and lately it seemed that the brighter that Shinra lit the city with its electricity and announced its supremacy the darker Dellora's intentions became towards them.  
A collision between the two families was going to happen for they were both too powerful not to be wary of each other.  
But those criminals was still too influential in the local politics of Midgar for the President to do anything against them yet, oh there were rumours that the family was up to its eyeballs in illegal activities that gave them their incredible wealth and contacts and they were probably all true enough, but when you had enough friends in high places to be all but immune from prosecution it really didn't matter what people said about you so long as they didn't have enough evidence to hold it up in court.

In any case, here in Midgar it was rarely what you knew, it was _who_ you knew. And no one who wanted Dellora out of the city knew anyone highly placed enough to get them put away through the legitimate route. Not even the President could do that yet; he didn't have enough support to dictate quite as freely as his son seemed to think. Shinra was a key player, but they weren't loved enough by the people to start dictating things like that just yet.  
If the Shinra Company wasn't so useful and beneficial then they'd probably be as hated as the Dellora's for their wealth and status by the elite circles in the city.  
But the Dellora's didn't have to operate with the love of the people and a man prepared to go up against the mafia family would also have to be prepared to risk his reputation by going through the sham of a court hearing (where the Dellora family's lawyers would first discredit your accusations for the court of rich social elites in the Dellora's pocket to scorn) and then would come the subsequent alienation from your peers who would be afraid to be associated with you when the Dellora's came for their pound of flesh.  
When that inevitably happened you suddenly found yourself alone and facing a whole family of enemies, and this was how things had operated in this city before Shinra.

But now things were changing and it was in Shinra's favour and the President knew that Dellora could be beaten by him because unlike all the others who'd stood up to the mafia family before _he_ owned a private company and had his own department that dealt with scum like them.  
But if he removed Dellora now it would only cause unrest; this city had too many people who liked what Dellora offered them, so he had to offer them something bigger and better.  
Once he'd gained the love of the masses then the Dellora's power to challenge him would effectively be gone because he'd be able to announce himself as the governor of Midgar and then set up a martial law that would allow troublemakers to be rooted out for the safety of the city and the security of its future… and the Dellora's would be the top of that list with their illegal activities, and most _deliciously_ there would be nothing they could do to stop him without further cementing his claims about them.  
It was all in the future. President Shinra relished the thought of a hostile takeover of the Dellora family but he didn't have the means just yet… but soon.

He moved his plans beyond the Dellora's and considered the stage after. Once the Dellora's were gone then there were the slums to consider. He thought about that den of iniquity with disgust and fascination.  
Too many people lived in the ungoverned slum district beneath where he was building his shining new model city. If the Dellora family could be called a symptom of the disease that was corrupting Midgar then its source would undoubtedly be found somewhere in the Slums where the family had risen from.  
Beneath the plates it was a different world; messy and ungoverned. It was rough down there and crime was rampant along with poverty. Those people certainly weren't the desirable sort to have up here on the plates, but there was little he could do about them.  
He was a little more reluctant to rid himself of the Slums despite as much of a nuisance as they were, after all what good was being rich if the poor lived up here on the plate beside them? There had to be someone to look down upon and something to aspire to be for his system of rule to work.  
That aside, there was also the fact that the President actually enjoyed some of what was hidden down there under the plates.  
Don Corneo, the owner of the Honey Bee Inn offered the temptations of the flesh at reasonable prices, and whilst that sort of thing or something close might be present up here on the plates it would surely be a 'members only' thing that would mean some of the more liberally minded members of the higher class of Midgar would know he enjoyed certain vices, and the President of Shinra did not like the thought of someone having that kind of leverage on him.  
Of course the services he got from Don Corneo's establishment was irrelevant when it came to his view of the man who owned it; Don Corneo was a jumped up and _very expendable_ pimp who thought he had power because he used fine looking young girls for the pleasure of others. Upon receiving his patronage the President had been clear with Don Corneo - to him 'President Shinra' did not exist and the man who was paying him right now should be thought of only as a businessman who was paying well for the establishment's discretion to keep his good name secure.  
Still, he wasn't a fool. He was paying fewer trips there these days and in the past whenever he'd gone there he'd taken on a secure false identity and made sure not to wear anything that he could not dispose of after – he had money to burn as easily as clothes.  
One day he'd take care of both these tumours that were 'Dellora' and 'the Slums', and then he'd build himself a shining new world… he would see all those things happen once he'd built his tower to show all of Midgar who was boss here.

The first step was the love of the people, he had it in mind to acquire another branch for his business to grow in to and that was in entertainment. But a new competitor had risen in this field lately; Marmont.  
Neville Marmont was a businessman like Shinra, he'd made his money in shares and owned the majority in most entertainment companies around Midgar that weren't already Shinra owned. The President had tried several times to buy out the shares from Marmont, but unsurprisingly the other man had refused to hear of it.  
Now he needed what Marmont had more than ever – how much more might Shinra be considered right for government if it not only powered your house with energy but also connected your calls and broadcasted your favourite programs and advertisements?  
How _good_ would Shinra then seem to the common man who was so influenced by what he saw and heard?  
The President nodded. Right then, the man had refused him enough times. It was time to take the gloves off!  
Picking up the telephone he dialled up the private line to one of his many departments and after only ringing twice the other end picked up.  
"Yes Sir?"  
"Ah, Director" the President greeted the other man as he swirled the contents of his glass "It appears I have a job for you, come by my residence so I may show you the details."  
Veld, the man in charge of the 'Investigative Department of General Affairs' replied he would be there within half an hour and the President hung up with a satisfied smile as he emptied the remains of his glass.


	2. Getting Contracts from Contacts

**I do not own FF7**

* * *

-  
Chapter 2

Reno sat back in a chair and leaned back as he took a pull off his cigarette, the flavoured smoke drifting up lazily in the spacious office in the dim light of the morning. Veld scowled at him and so did his protégé Tseng who stood by the Director's side. Though he almost mirrored the look at exactly the same time as Veld Reno thought to himself that it looked more fearsome on the older man.  
"Put that out." The Director growled the order at Reno.  
The red head looked surprised, his eyebrows raising over his blue eyes but he did as he was told and stubbed it out on the ashtray that Veld had on his desk. "Y'know that smoking _is_ allowed in this building right?" he asked with a hint of rebelliousness in his light hearted drawling voice.  
"Yes, and this is _my_ office and you are _my_ agent." Veld returned with a warning look not to push it.  
Reno held his hands up to show no offence had been meant "Okay, okay, I hear ya boss, no smoking,,, but y'know I'm right, right?" he teased as he flashed a charming grin.  
Veld looked at his protégé and a look passed between them that Reno didn't understand but for once he kept his mouth shut. Veld turned back to look at Reno and asked him "How old are you Reno?"  
"I don't know." The Turk replied "nearly twenty I think."  
"Mm." Veld frowned again, Reno was getting used to that look now and so he gave it little thought this time. The question was more interesting to him, why ask him _that_?

"I have your file here" the Director said, changing the subject.  
"Oh really? Mind if I take a peek at it?" Reno asked as he reached out to take it off the desk. The Director put a hand on top of the file to prevent its removal and cleared his throat meaningfully to get the other mans' attention.  
"What is in here you should be familiar with, it's your life after all. All the rest is all the information we have on you." Reno was surprised the file was so big already since he hadn't done all that much with his life. He supposed it must mostly be medical records and other people's reports on him.  
His early life in the Slums had been the same as any other slum dwellers and since he'd left it he'd been trained to be a Turk and lived a totally different lifestyle. Approximately two years ago he'd been officially accepted as a full member of the Turks and since then he'd had a handful of increasingly difficult missions that had allowed him to prove himself to be an exceptional, if very unorthodox, individual who was good at getting results people wanted of him.  
He'd always bragged he was good at 'getting shit done' of course, but this habit had partly damaged the initial impression he'd given people until he'd proven with time that he was as good as his word. His boss liked to see a little professionalism in his men, even those who were only trainees, and he'd considered Reno's coarse language and bragging to be the mark of a show off.

Reno certainly fit that description at times but the trait was born more out of his pride and self confidence than the usual self denials for masking cowardice that caused most young people people to do it. If there was one thing the former slum dweller believed then it was that you needed to be able to put your money where your mouth was and prove you would keep your word once you said you'd do something.  
It was one of those strange things about him, despite being a sloppily dressed man with his messy red hair and the red tattoos on his cheekbones _and_ his lazy temperament _and_ his sarcasm Reno _still_ struck people as a professional despite all these elements of his personality.  
He was as much a key part of the Turks at his young age as Veld or Tseng was, both whom was his seniors and contrasts in every way to him with their well-groomed appearance and professional attitudes. Reno's secret to pulling it off was masked in his appearance. There was feeling of danger about the man, a carefree attitude that said without him having to speak the words '_If I don't get compliance willingly then that's your choice buddy – but I promise you I __will__ have your cooperation._' and people recognised a hidden danger when they saw it in the same way that a red light is universally recognised as a warning for people to pay attention, and the red of Reno's hair mixed with his attitude gave the impression all too clearly that just like that he was to not be taken lightly, and to do so was at _your_peril, not his.

Veld continued to speak, his moments reflective silence was apparently at an end. "We have an assignment for you, and based on your track record we believe we can count on you to perform. Do you concur with me Reno?" he asked him seriously.  
Reno barely thought about it and instead he grinned to show how he felt about that question "So! What have you got for me Director?"  
Veld pursed his lips and shrugged nonchalantly "Well, It's the basic espionage assignment – break in, gather some information and vacate the premises without being detected." The Director explained.  
"Well so far it sounds easy… so what's the catch that you're asking me to do it?" Reno asked smoothly.  
The Director smiled at that comment "The 'catch' Reno is that you aren't going to be heading this operation - you'll be supervising it."  
The red head's face fell as he took that in "Supervising…?" he repeated quietly with a gloomy quality quickly seeping into his voice. He thought about what that word meant and it didn't exactly thrill him. "So you mean to say I'm going to be _babysitting_others whilst they do break in."

Veld raised an eyebrow at Reno's obvious opinion of that "No Reno, you are there to ensure they get the job done to a satisfactory conclusion and to ensure there are no loose ends should things go badly." He said.  
Tseng spoke up for the first time "That you call it 'baby sitting' implies you think this is beneath you Reno – do you want this assignment or not?"  
The red head turned his blue eyes on his superiors' favourite agent and his mouth set in a thin line "If you call me for a job boss, then I'll get it done. You know that."  
The man by the desk crossed his arms "Then don't act so childishly about this Reno, not every assignment requires that you dirty your hands and do things all by yourself." Tseng replied.

Veld raised a hand to silence them and both eyes turned to him as he pushed a file over to Reno. "Here is the brief, the layout of the building is contained in it – study it carefully. The bio's of the other operatives are also in there, study those too. I picked this team because this assignment is relatively easy and they're all new field operatives. They are ready and I expect no errors nor slip up's but should they occur then you must ensure that at all costs this company's reputation is not jeopardised. Do you understand me?" he asked gravely.  
Reno suddenly understood why he was being asked to watch this team "So If things go south you're asking me to make sure no one's left to talk." He confirmed, suddenly deadly serious. Though the notion was a little unpleasant for him to think about, it was standard procedure in these instances. On his first field operations he'd been 'supervised' like this too, only he hadn't known back then what that had meant. It was need-to-know only.

"That's right Reno. We need a professional there in case they can't extract themselves from the situation." Tseng confirmed. Reno let out a breath that he'd unknowingly been holding and he masked it by cracking his neck loudly and making it seem as though he was just uncomfortably positioned in the chair. "Okay boss. You got it – when's the operation scheduled?" he asked.  
"Two days from today. The operation takes place at 22:00 when the majority of the staff have vacated the building. That should give you enough time to study the files." Veld informed him.  
"If ya said it was taking place tomorrow It'd still be enough time." Reno replied softly.  
"Good, that's comforting to know. You won't be needed in the office until after this assignment is complete – the records of this company will show that you and the team are going to be training in the mountains on a field exercise."  
Reno grinned at that, the assignment might be lousy, but not having to do any paperwork for two days was certainly an upside not to be sniffed at. He picked up the file and sauntered out the door, fully intending to have a drink at home whilst he studied his new team of rookies.

Neville Marmont was not a man easily worried by competitors, he lived a long life and he had seen many of them out over the years he'd lived in Midgar. For years he'd been the manager of small companies and he'd successfully led them to greater profits and increased sales and productivity but of course there was always room for improvement when one was an up and coming businessman and so he had always found room in his heart to take the opportunities and grab an available chance when something better presented itself. But this had not stopped him buying shares all the while and so he'd always had some say in the future of what he'd left behind him on his way up to the top.  
This was why he had become as rich as he had, and to his pride he hadn't had to do anything illegal to sustain it – it was all just a matter of good business and a few calculated risks.

But the last few years had seen the wind changing… it wasn't turning against him, but it certainly wasn't promising. His investments weren't as sustaining as he'd hoped and he really needed an opportunity of some kind to put him back on course. A storm was coming, so to speak, and it had everything to do with the Shinra Corporation manipulating the events. The President, that old greedy windbag, had been trying to get his paws on the various companies that Marmont had bought shares in for a while now.  
Offers had been made, and generous terms they were, but why should a man like himself be bought out by someone else like that President? What right did he have taking another man's life's work and offering only money as recompense? If the man wanted what Marmont had then it would take a lot more than money to get him to change his mind about relinquishing it, they weren't talking about possession of an _item_ here – they were talking about a man's _life's work_ here! And what would that make him seem like if he accepted such an offer – to build up a substantial investment only to give it up because someone offered him some money for it? No, that would simply not suffice for a man like him.

He had made counter offers which had been refused, offers which allowed him to still have a say in the workings of his enterprises whilst Shinra ran them, but the old man running Shinra clearly had a mind-set where offering absolute control of what he owned was the key to getting in his good graces. So it seemed they were at an impasse, but Marmont was no fool; Shinra wanted what he had and he would stop at nothing to get him to agree. It was rumoured that Shinra had itself a specialist department, some shady group of operatives known as the 'Turks' that were designed to eliminate all the competition against the Shinra Power Company from behind the scenes if things got to a stage where the usual options weren't getting results.  
Officially no such group existed and the matter had been investigated by the authorities but everyone had heard the stories about these so called 'Turks' despite their seemingly non-existent members and from the way his business talks had been going with Shinra lately Marmont now had a suspicion that he might soon meet with these non-existent people who might not be so concerned with what he wanted when he said 'no' to them. Evidence of their existence would be nice, proof of some kind that Shinra operated by foul means would be damning in a court and that knowledge would certainly be good leverage to get the old man to back off…

Marmont nodded to himself. He knew of a few people he could call on for a favour or two, and those men would certainly be able to put him in touch with men who would be able to handle such problems like these secret operatives... He fished out his phone and checked the time, it wasn't so late just yet that he couldn't call people and be disturbing them from bed. He dialled a number and waited for the other end to pick up and prepared what he was going to say to them in his head as he did so.

In a dark room a telephone buzzed on a bedside table. Its light winked on and off to the rhythm of the buzz. A low grumble came from the bed it was next to and a large hand reached out to turn the light on before it took hold of the phone and flicked it open. "…yes?" the voice was deep and had a husky quality to it from someone who has been rudely awoken from sleep.  
Ironic of course, given that the man who'd answered it operated under the alias 'Rude'.  
"Hello Rude. A client in your neck of the woods just called us. We have a job for you, if you're interested." The voice at the other end was level, professional and probably had access to coffee right now.  
Rude sighed and checked the time, it was not quite late enough here that he could put this off until morning. Damn. He hated it when the office called him in these situations, making decisions whilst he was still half asleep wasn't exactly how he liked to be when he had to make decisions. Still, it came with his line of work. It wasn't like his boss could call him into the office given his employers were stationed outside of Midgar and he was currently on leave in the city.

"Are you still there?" the other end asked him politely.  
"Yeah, I'm here" He grumbled as he stifled a yawn.  
"Good. So, are you interested or shall I let you go back to sleep?" at least there was no mucking about with pleasantries Rude thought, he didn't have the patience right now to pretend he was happy to hear from them having just been woken up. "Well let's assume I might be once I'm awake. What's the job?" He asked bluntly.  
The other end explained and Rude raised an eyebrow at some of the details, a security job wasn't a new thing for him – he'd done several assignments like this one and there was always an element of risk involved. But the part about the masked assailants coming to visit in the middle of the night who intended to sabotage their employers business seemed a little far fetched.  
He'd heard of 'hostile takeovers' before but he'd thought it was normally meant as a euphemism in the world of business, and he didn't see how a legitimate business could possibly afford to have such a risky and dirty group when their existence alone would surely tarnish and blacklist them from any law abiding city… let alone Midgar!

"Are you sure about this? These Turks sound like some kind of a paranoid fabrication." he asked his informant.  
"No we're positive on this one. We wouldn't be telling you that part if there wasn't some chance that it was the truth. There have been stories about this bunch circulating in Midgar since Shinra became a key player over there a few years ago."  
Rude pursed his lips… so assuming this bunch of 'Turks' wasn't just a rumour there would be professional saboteurs to contend with and a good likelihood of violence before this ended. He relayed as much to the person at the other end of the line and when they concurred with him there was a moment when neither of them spoke.  
Rude came to his decision quickly "Okay, but I still want my paid leave if I take this job – I'm still going to be in Midgar after all."  
There was a pause at the other end before the reply came "Okay that can be arranged."  
Rude nodded "And before I take on this job how much is he prepared to offer?"  
"He's offering four hundred per night for this job, he's talking about moving shop too just in case things go south. He sounds serious."  
Well that was interesting too, this man must be very concerned indeed if he was relocating away from Shinra's powerbase in Midgar to protect his interests. "If he'll raise his offer to five hundred and pay your share of it separately then I'll stay as long as it takes and take on whoever tries to stop him." Rude replied firmly.  
"But you'll do it?" his contractor asked.  
"If he'll accept my terms and he knows what he expects from me then yes." Rude replied.  
"Great. We'll let you know if he accepts. Sweet dreams." The line went dead before Rude could say anything further.

Hmph. They were a pushy lot his contractors but they paid well and at least he didn't have to do anything dirty… well, most of the time he didn't have to anyway. Death was never an entirely clean business. Still, that was why he was always offered jobs rather than dictated to, his employers knew well that he was a reliable man so long as you didn't ask him to compromise his values.  
It was a strange thing that a man who did what he did could still have values about right and wrong, but it was what allowed him to get the job done. Dealing death wasn't the issue, it was when you were being asked to drag it out for someone's pleasure or killing someone who was obviously not implicated – like a targets family – that was where Rude drew the line and he wouldn't budge. Guilty was guilty but a child was innocent.

Everyone had done something in their lives to make someone else hate them or envy them, and in that light everyone had the right to ask for protection from a professional, but if someone wanted revenge or 'protection' so badly they targeted an innocent life to ensure it then they'd have to be prepared to hold the gun themselves before Rude ever did it for them. He didn't need murder on his conscience, and in a world where everyone was guilty of doing something then murder could only be defined by him as 'killing when unnecessary'.  
He went back to sleep, and in the morning when he woke up there was single message on his phone. Flicking it open he read it once before he deleted it.  
_  
You've got the job. Your contractor's name is Neville Marmont. See him today._


	3. The Need To Feel Safe

Chapter 3

Reno supped whisky from a tumbler as he flicked through the dossier on his lap, smoke curled lazily from a lit cigarette in his hand and he took a draw off it before he flicked some ash off its end into the ashtray.

He blew out smoke from his nostrils and narrowed his eyes at the information in front of him.  
_Rookies _he thought _God I hate working with rookies…_  
Reno was a man who believed in few things besides himself, a strong supply of self confidence and ego did for him what God did for a religious man, he needed the self belief that he could do something in order to get things done whilst defying all the odds and the evidence to the contrary and _still_ be alive to enjoy his pay check at the end of the day.  
Too much pride could kill a man, and Reno had had some pretty close calls, in the last two years he'd seen more action than your average slum troublemaker saw in their entire lifetime which was usually a _lot_ and he had things to show for it.  
There were faint little hairline scars from cuts on his body which were visible if you knew where to look, he'd gotten so used to stitches these days that he simply walked into the infirmary and told them to 'get on with it and skip the painkiller', and the lengthy receipts he had for instances where he'd needed painkillers and also that rather memorable nurse's phone number on his mobile were all testament to how risky a Turks life was.  
Reno had to admit though that he led a charmed life in that so far he'd managed to keep both his rather good looks _and_ his reputation as a firebrand whereas by rights he should have been forced to sacrifice one for the other by now…

He tore his mind away from vanity, his love for himself really was his biggest crutch sometimes, and he turned his attention back to the task at hand.  
Before him were the detailed profiles of four of the Turks newest recruits; one girl, three guys and none of them interesting to Reno. To a guy like him these Rookies were as interesting as watching paint dry because they simply hadn't _done anything.  
_Of course the whole point of this exercise was to start them off on that career path, but at the same time it didn't fill him with any joy. All these kids had done was passed the selection course, and whilst passing the training programme for a Turk was impressive by layman's terms to a trained killer like him all it really meant was that these kids could fire a gun and be trusted to hit the target, throw and take a good punch and be able to run pretty quick.  
He groaned and took another draw off his cigarette before downing more of the burning liquor to bolster his flagging spirits.  
He wasn't a babysitter at the end of the day! He should have told Veld to give this to Tseng, that guy _loved_ administration and lists… he was practically married to his desk for fuck's sake, but Reno was a _field man_ – sitting back and watching others take the lead wasn't his style, he'd rather be out front shouting for someone to try their god-damned best-!

He sighed and shook his head sharply – _vanity_ Reno! – remember the old man's lesson; 'too much pride can kill a man'…  
He shook his head one last time and put the glass down, no more whisky until he'd finished! He picked the first one up and browsed the label, _'Christian Collins – aged 18, height; 5'10, natural hair colour; brown…'_ Reno spent the rest of the night studying and memorising each individual until he could recognise each one by random selection of their picture and be able to point out at least three identifiable traits, habits or facts about them that would have allowed him to justify a reason for bullying, befriending or possibly _murdering_ any of them to a stranger.  
A Turk never considers the option that he's a sociopath, or possibly even a _psychopath _to the people around him; to people like them 'crazy' is just another word for 'difficult' because in the world they live in its up to them to justify their actions to themselves and find a way to sleep at night.  
But Reno manages though, he has plenty of reasons not too, but he still manages, and that's why he's so good at his job.

Though technically he was still on holiday Rude always spent his mornings in the same way he did when he was on a job out of habit; to wake himself up he did stretches and then followed this up with a fast paced work out of his thighs, arms and core muscles to get his body and mind alert and awake.  
Then after a fast wash and getting dressed into some casual clothes he was ready for the day ahead and he left the house around the time most people were still grumbling about having to get up for work.  
Rude was a very self-disciplined man; he liked his little routines and found comfort in keeping in shape because keeping little things like that as a constant in his life helped to fortify him against the unexpected.  
His work ethic was excellent, and being a creature of habit this wasn't really as much a compliment as it was a basic fact about the man called 'Rude'.  
He was a hard worker, and if he had a job to do, then he believed in preparation and doing it to the best of his abilities not matter what it was. In his opinion you should give everything your best no matter how boring it was, and be it paperwork or protection work he approached it in the same way he approached a workout at the gym.  
In the end the result was the same; you gained out of it what you put _into_ it and good end results were the reward.

Of course despite this laudable outlook he was still human at the end of the day and he had weaknesses, coffee was one certainly - for Rude a good cup of coffee was not something merely _desired_ in the morning, but sought out like crack was for a drug addict.  
Rude needed a fix in the morning in order to be civil with people for the rest of the day or otherwise he simply wasn't good company to keep.  
Among other things he liked bacon too, another reason he kept in shape. Right now he was eating it at a diner he'd found during his short stay in Midgar.  
Though Rude had visited Midgar once or twice it had only been in passing up till now. He was from Costa-De-Sol originally and had grown up outside of the metropolis. As such he was unfamiliar with much of the city and its workings which had prompted the need for him to take a holiday to get to know it better. People he spoke to at work spoke of this city like it was the only place in the world worth seeing, and Rude was curious to see what it was like for himself.  
This diner he was in was pleasant and on the small side, Rude liked that – it kept things intimate and friendly, you know?  
He'd never got on well in big groups of people, people tended to avoid him because of his size even before he'd gotten the piercings and started wearing the sunglasses. Now he was beyond caring, let people think what they wanted, if they liked him then that was fine and if they didn't…well he was a big guy, he'd never had much difficulty looking after himself when trouble came looking for him as a boy and these days it was a source of pride to know that trouble was more likely to run away from him if _he_ approached _it_.

He tucked into his generous breakfast, a small heap of eggs and bacon followed by a couple cups of coffee. He smiled at the small pretty waitress and inclined his head in a silent thank you as she cleared his dishes from his table.  
Leaving the diner and tipping them for their service he made a note to visit it again during his stay, he liked it in there.  
He stopped by the Information Center to find out where he needed to go to find Marmont's building. A quick inquiry had directed him to the plate he needed to, and from them it was only a small matter of time before he found himself standing before a rather plain looking building with an intercom and a security door.  
He raised an eyebrow at the place, it wasn't much to look at but Marmont had to be making a good profit to earn his firm's protection.  
He buzzed and after a moment the intercom crackled to life.  
"_Who is it?_" the tinny voice inquired.  
"I'm the security your employer requested last night, I'm expected." He replied.  
"_Just a moment please._"  
He was kept waiting longer than a moment, but he patiently waited and watched the street around him. This area of Midgar certainly was industrial at the moment he observed thoughtfully, there were a lot of construction crews walking around and all of them were no doubt focused on the various parts of that massive skyscraper being built.  
Well it was hard to miss, Rude tilted his head and looked at it with interest, on one hand it certainly was a very _impressive_ tower what with its size and flaunting of what it would cost to run along with all the labor it was currently costing, but on the other hand it was a very loud and noisy area around here because of it and to tell truth it was a bit of an eyesore in its present condition, with all the scaffolding and cranes around the area.  
He looked at the crews and pursed his lips… at the end of the day he supposed a lot of people must be thankful for it being there, for certainly it required a lot of labor to build and that meant more employment around here.  
The door clicked open and interrupted his train of thoughts, turning around and going inside he left the massive construction and all it represented at the door and went to meet his new employer.

Neville Marmont wasn't a very big man, short and stocky in build he had a neat trimmed beard and white hair that spoke of his age, but his face still held onto the determination of a younger man and it spoke better of his character to Rude.  
The man looked him up warily, taking in all of what he saw with a critical eye. Rude was wearing a smart white shirt and black jeans with heavy boots.  
"You're the security?" he asked suspiciously "I was expecting someone a little more… ah, prepared?" he suggested.  
Rude blinked behind his sunglasses "What were you expecting Mr Marmont, for me to walk down the street in full riot armor and packing a heavy semi automatic weapon?"  
Marmont frowned "Is that not what freelance security types use?"  
Rude allowed himself a small joke at the man's expense "Sometimes. Depends on the job – being as I was on holiday here before I was offered this job I've left my riot gear back at HQ."  
Marmont's expression soured "Your firm asked me to pay five hundred a day for this kind of attitude? What kind of professional are you?" He huffed.  
Rude's smile disappeared at that comment and he walked forward, allowing Marmont to take into account how much _taller_ and _muscular_ than him he was, he took off his sunglasses and regarded his contractor with a serious expression on his face "Listen to me," he told Marmont sternly "_I_ asked for you to pay me five hundred a night to protect your investments because my company called me whilst I was meant to be on holiday asking me to take this job. Now I'm not here to impress you – I'm here to do the job you're paying me to do when I could have been doing something else."  
Marmont was speechless for a moment, intimidated by the size and tone of the man towering over him. But privately he re-evaluated the man before him and admitted he was being a little hasty – a man who cried off paid leave to do a job certainly suggested dedication to his work.  
"Just… just give me a moment, I've been under a lot of stress lately okay?" he spluttered as he regained some of his composure.  
Rude nodded once and put his sunglasses back on.

After accepting the invitation for a drink of coffee to ease their frosty start Rude got down to business quickly "Let me see your security arrangements." He asked the businessman.  
"Well it's not property that you'll be guarding, er… what was your name again?"  
"Rude." He replied.  
"Rude…?" the man rolled it on his tongue and shrugged at the peculiar name "Well 'Rude' this is just the media centre where we're currently settling our business arrangements, you'll be guarding _me_." Marmont seemed easier now that he had a cup of coffee in his hands, perhaps he also needed coffee to be more sociable "The place I'll be staying at is right out on the edge of the plate. I own a small business block out there and it's where I'm keeping everything safe until this business move is complete and I can leave Midgar."  
"I see" Rude was already thinking about how this was going to work "and will it be just me guarding your person and property?"  
"Oh no, I made my fortune in shares and stock exchanges in lots of businesses over the years and I've had threats and attempts on me in the past from ambitious people who didn't like a majority vote being in my hands. I have a competent and experienced security staff looking after me already."  
"So then why hire me?" Rude asked curiously, feeling he already knew the answer.  
He wasn't disappointed as Marmont said it one word;  
"_Turks._"

Rude was silent and supped at his coffee "I heard that name mentioned to me before when I took this contract but I've not heard of them. Who are they exactly?" Rude asked.  
"Well the word is that these Turks are Shinra's private group of enforcers. Officially they pose as his bodyguards but the truth is that they protect his investments as much as his personal safety – if anyone does something Shinra doesn't like or fears will harm his company then he sends his Turks to pay them a visit which usually with tragic consequences for the person who displeased him." Marmont fidgeted "So they say anyway." He added sheepishly.  
"That sounds ruthless." Rude sympathized in a deadpan.  
"Oh it is" Marmont agreed gravely "And now _I'm_ on that list for not agreeing to his damn terms! That's why I hired from your firm, because you _are_ the best aren't you?" he asked suspiciously.  
"Our parameters are very demanding. If we aren't the best then I'd like to meet someone who can call themselves better than us." Rude replied calmly.  
"SOLDIER has people who could." Marmont muttered.  
"And what's a SOLDIER when you're not local to Midgar?" Rude asked wearily, all these strange names and titles were starting to bother him, was nothing simple in this city?  
"SOLDIER is a private army owned by Shinra, divided into two class groups; 'Third' and 'First' class." Marmont explained "The 'Third Class' soldiers are just like anyone else that's been well trained with a weapon, but the 'First Class' are an elite…" he blew out a heavy breath "Now those people are guys you really wouldn't want to mess with."  
Rude smiled politely "So there are no Second class Soldiers in that system then?" he asked for the sake of his curiosity.  
Marmont considered that question more carefully than Rude thought he would and he realised then that this man _really_ was scared of Shinra. He was very grim about this subject.  
"Well I suppose that would be where the Turk's fit in… they're not like a First Class SOLDIER, but they're certainly not an ordinary bunch of people either." he described.  
Rude was all business now, and all traces of his humour had gone the same way as his coffee. The description of these people promised nothing pleasant "Neither am I Mr Marmont." he reassured his trembling ward.  
Marmont was visibly nervous as he put his coffee on the table and buried his face in his hands "I'm relying on you Rude – you've got to protect me from these people!"  
"I will." Rude promised.

The morning had come too soon for Reno's taste, but after a quick pick-me-up and some pills he felt better about the prospects of meeting his temporary squad. He now stood before the four new members of his squad and supped a coffee as he appraised them with an air of indifference "Yo, _rookies_" he deliberately added a layer of contempt to the word "My name is Reno and I'm heading the operation tonight – here's the only thing you need to know; one; I'm the boss – period. So that means when Reno says 'monkey do' you guys _do_, clear on that? Good.' He paused to take another sup of the steaming contents.  
He walked down to the end of the line of Turk newbies. Starting with the only girl in the group he looked her up and down. Tied back black hair and a stern expression on her face, she was making a show of _not_ looking at him as he looked at her.  
Reno rolled his eyes "Hey pretty, don't flatter yourself – chances are I've met your mother.' now _that_ caught her attention and Reno winked knowingly "Yeah, I _know _all about your family honey. But do they know?" he nodded at the rest of the group "Shall we tell them and see what they think?" he asked her mischievously.  
She glared daggers at him "_Don't_." she growled at him.  
Ooh, _attitude_… he liked that!  
he folded his arms over his chest and raised his head to look down at her "Yeah? Is that a threat?" he asked her, waiting to see what she'd do.  
She didn't take the bait but her eyes gave away that she'd like to if he were not in the position he held, he smirked and winked at her before moving to the next candidate.

Standing as tall as Reno was, this man had short blond hair in a messy style.  
"You look like a right prissy" he sneered "what's your name newbie?"  
"Kyle sir." The man replied levelly.  
"Well _Kyle_, I think you're a prissy – you know what a prissy is?"  
"No sir."  
"Aw, that's too bad" Reno made a show of lighting a cigarette "and here I thought you were clever just 'cause it says you are in your file. I suppose a dumb shit like you'd be useless as a hacker wouldn't you?"  
Kyle's face colored at the insult to his professional pride "Prissy usually means you're overly fussy or overly vain – and with your hair I think that's more likely to be you, _Reno._" he shot back testily.  
Reno waited a moment but the man didn't apologize for it. Reno liked him for that and he slowly gave him a crafty smile to reassure him this was cool  
"_Much _better, Kyle" he purred approvingly, however since he couldn't let Kyle get away unscathed for that comment he decided it was time to put this hot shot computer genius to the test. He nodded to a computer that was set up and running in the corner  
"Okay yo, go sit over there and break into that computer. Inside you'll find an encrypted file with your name on it, if you can break into _that_ then you're my hacker on tonight's job. But know that once you start you've got five minutes to crack into that file or the sprinkler system will activate in the Director's office but if you cause a lock down by making a mistake then it'll result in the sprinklers going off throughout the entire building. I hope you're good." He added.

He went to the next one and made a point of greeting him with a slap on the shoulder "Hey there, Sebastian isn't it? How you doing man?" he asked the shocked recruit cheerily.  
"Ah… I'm good sir." Sebastian said uncertainly.  
"Ah! You can quit the 'sir' shit with me yo, to you I'm Reno 'kay?" he hugged him around the neck slightly and gave him his best friendly smile as though they were at a bar together.  
It worked a charm and the recruit returned his friendliness with an uncertain smile of his own "Okay Reno." He replied in a humoured manner.  
In an instant Reno turned hostile on him "What the _fuck _did you just say to me? Did you just call me _Reno?_" he demanded.  
"Yes." Sebastian confirmed.  
"And what the fuck gives you the right to call me that, huh? You think you're _special _or something!" Reno snarled at him.  
"No Sir!" Sebastian straightened his back and looked back at him, poker faced and considerate.  
"Sebastian, Sebastian…" Reno groaned in despair and rubbed a hand down his face "Come on man, what did I just say about not calling me 'sir'?" he chided him.  
"You said not to call you 'sir' boss."  
"Well then call me Reno." Reno smirked.  
"This is a test. I can't call you Reno and I can't call you sir." The trainee Turk answered.  
"That's right rookie – but I'm the boss and I say you've still got to answer. You've got to say something!" Reno ordered him.  
"Something." Sebastian dutifully answered.  
Reno paused… that answer was surprisingly ingenious; it was rebellious and yet completely obedient to his demand, he would have to try that trick out with Veld sometime.  
"Good boy, now go fetch me a coffee." Reno ordered.  
"But you've already got-" Reno gave him a glare and he went to fetch a coffee.  
_Good kid,_ he thought _he might do well in time_.  
Now came the final one.

This one he wasn't sure about because although the file was good - _very_ good in fact – Reno didn't like how the kid made him feel.  
This one felt like trouble to him, his gut warned him something was wrong about this kid.  
He wasn't right for this job.  
However, he had to find a job for him and he so far didn't have one in mind for the guy. He'd have to see what he was like first.  
He waited to see what the kid would do if he was faced with silence. The kid stared at him completely strait faced.  
Reno mulled over it and then had an idea; he threw the remains of his coffee straight into the kids face.  
The kid couldn't have been more shocked it Reno had used his EMR instead of lukewarm coffee, he stood there spluttering and rubbing his face and eyes until he could glare angrily at the red head who'd soaked him.  
"What the hell was that for?" he demanded to Reno.  
"A test." Reno said "and it turns out you're a human and not a statue. Congratulations." He quipped.  
"If you were anyone else…" the boy growled.  
"You'd _what_?" Reno snarled at him instantly. The two stood there facing each other like tigers, this kid was a junior but he was angry enough to try it with Reno if it came to it, and it was obvious to everyone.  
"You were gonna say something personal there, I think." Reno hissed.  
The kid didn't rise to is and took a breath "No sir. Sorry."  
Reno backed off "Accepted. Go get yourself cleaned up. Everyone does the drills today! Shooting course, obstacle course, slicing networks and hand to hand combat, you do all of them! I'll see your results at the end of the course and I'll be assigning your positions tonight based on those results! Go."  
He sat alone in the observation deck and kept his eye specifically on the one he'd soaked.  
Christian Collins his name was. Reno didn't like him at all.  
Which didn't help because looking at how he was performing it appeared he was the best out of everyone at fighting and shooting which meant he'd be needed on tonight's mission.

The afternoon passed swiftly for Rude. A drive to Marmont's residence had taken only a little while and soon the freelance agent had been greeted with the sight of a large mansion.  
"I, ah, made a few changes when I first moved in" Marmont explained sheepishly "I didn't like the neighbors."  
Apparently not, Rude was shocked at how much this place stood out in this area of industry for in the midst of the office building and apartment flats surrounding it this compound was cut off by a tall metal fence and an electronic security gate that opened by remote.  
The house had the feeling of a workplace despite attempts to make it more genteel and homey. The potted flowers out from were nice, though where he'd got them from in Midgar's urban metropolis Rude couldn't say.  
He asked and Marmont replied "A pretty flower girl I once ran into sells them. I drove down to get more when I saw how nice they made the place look. Took a bit of finding I can tell you!" he chuckled.  
Rude smiled and they continued in to the building itself. Tall and spacious, with a single stairway that went up halfway before splitting into two separate stairwells the place looked grand.

"What business was this given for before you acquired it?" Rude asked him.  
"It was… _ah_… an 'escort' company if you follow?" Marmont cleared his throat "It didn't used to be this big, they moved uptown to closer to the center and they sold it to me cheaply. Then the area around was flattened for construction that never happened so I pulled some strings and expanded the property for my own development. That's how I got the room for the gate."  
Rude nodded "But why have the gate? It seems so out of place." He pointed out.  
"I know, at first it was only small and decorative but when I started receiving threats to my person I had to make them bigger. I felt the need for security – a man has to feel safe in his own home after all, right?"  
Rude nodded "I suppose." He agreed.

The rest of the tour was simple, there was an office with a security door which held several computers attached to different businesses inside it that took up the upstairs left wing and on the right was Marmont's bedroom and bathroom. Downstairs there was a kitchen, a large sitting room with a big screen television and a facilities room.  
"Where will I be staying?" Rude asked.  
"Oh my! I forgot you aren't local are you? All my men are and work shifts so I assumed you had a place of your own to go to…" Marmont trailed off awkwardly "Well if you like you can use the living room as your own space – I hardly use it myself and you'll just need it for sleep eh? It'll only be a few days until I'm set to move after all." The businessman added cheerily.

A few days in this place… Rude was depressed at the thought "What will you do with yourself during the next few days?" he asked his ward.  
"Well unless one of the companies calls a board meeting I don't have to be anywhere. You may go as you please of course but you will need to call to be let in, one of my guards will give you the number for the sentry phone. That's the one used by the guard assigned to the gate duty out front." He explained.  
Rude grunted, as long as he wasn't stuck in here with nothing to do then that was fine with him.  
"Rude?" Marmont asked him "Do you suppose these premises can be considered safe?"  
"I don't know" Rude admitted "You've a fine gate and guards but I've never met a business company that actively uses hostility for hostile takeovers before now. Do you feel safe?" he asked Marmont.  
The man thought about it and sighed as he shook his head miserably.

Rude made a face "Marmont, you need to relax. In a few days you'll be moved and safe. My advice is that you call in every available member of staff, give them overtime or bigger salaries if you don't intend to take them with you to wherever you're going. As you said, you need to feel safe in your own house."  
Marmont's good mood was fading fast and he sighed unhappily "I thought you'd say something like that…"


End file.
